Biker Slang

Every subculture has its own lingo; Bikers are no exception.
– Are you on the fringe of a motorcycle society?
– Have you heard a biker speaking and would like to understand what he said?
– Would you like to gain insight into the biker mindset?
– Do you just like words?

Numbers

1%er (One Percenter): If 99% of motorcycle riders are law abiding members of society, these are the other 1%. Advertised through a patch or tattoo, usually on a diamond shaped back field.

1 Kicker: starts on the first kick. well-tuned motorcycle.

1 piece (One Piece): “1-piece” outfit of protective clothing covering from the neck to the ankles.

2 Piece (Two Piece): “2-piece” outfit of protective clothing consisting of a jacket and a pant, often constructed to allow the two pieces to be zipped together at the waist.

2 Second Rule: same as with a car. A tool used to estimate the minimum safe following distance between moving vehicles. Cars following a motorcycle should allow four seconds as motorcycles can stop much more quickly than cars can.

2 Stroke: engine in which the piston assembly/assemblies run 2 strokes per cycle.

3 Piece Patch/3 Patch : configuration of back patches used by some motorcycle clubs with a top patch (club’s name) a center patch (club’s logo) and a bottom patch (geographical territory). Top and bottom patches are referred to as “Rockers.”

4 Stroke: engine in which the piston assembly/assemblies run 4 strokes per cycle.

6-Bends/6-Bend Handlebars: handlebars that have 6 bends. Popular within the 70s Chopper culture. 6-bend handlebars

81: eighth letter of the alphabet (H) and first letter (A). Hell’s Angels

99%er: opposite of a 1%er. Patch often worn by off-duty Biker First Responders – Police, Firefighters, EMTs/Paramedics, Military Personnel. Sometimes worn by Citizens as a social statement but this really isn’t a great idea as 1%ers could consider it antagonistic or as a challenge.

Big Four: Hell’s Angels, Pagans, Outlaws and Bandidos. The four motorcycle clubs that have been identified as being Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs by the FBI. These clubs are prosecutable under the Federal RICO statute.

Buckhorns: style of handlebars that pull back toward the rider – actually resembling a bulls horns. When someone speaks about buckhorns, it’s usually in context that he’d like to replace them with something more stylish. Read more about Buckhorn Handlebars

Buddy Pegs: footpegs for a passenger.

Buffeting: quick-cycling wind turbulence, especially bothersome when following large vehicles.

Burnout: spinning the rear wheel while preventing the motorcycle from moving forward (accomplished by applying the front brake or setting the front tire against an immovable object such as a high curb).

Chase Vehicle: truck that follows a pack of riders on a run to assist with breakdowns

Chassis: frame and suspension.

Choke: used to make cold-starting an engine easier. Old systems used to “choke” out some air to increase the fuel to air ratio; newer systems enrich the amount of fuel.

Chopper: term for a customized motorcycle that has taken various forms through the years. Originally, anything unnecessary was “chopped” off and then custom features were added. The most notable feature of a Chopper is its extended fork system.

Club: group of people banded together over a common interest. Motorcycle Club is a generally nefarious term referring to Outlaws/1%ers, whereas Riding Clubs are more community friendly.

Clip-ons:handlebars that “clip-on” to the top of the forks. Usually seen on Sports Bikes as they lend themselves to a forward-leaning riding position.

Colors: patches, logo, uniform associated with a Motorcycle Club

Compression Ratio: refers to the difference between the precompressed volume of air/fuel and the compressed volume of air/fuel.

Counter Steer: counter-intuitive steering system in which pushing the left-side handlebar results in a right-side turn and vice versa. To see how counter-intuitive, check out the reader comments below.

Cowl/Cowling: bodywork pieces that cover the engine and transmission of a bike to improve aerodynamics and visual smoothness. These are the parts removed from a Naked Bike.

Crash Bars: bars that attach to the frame and protrude outward so as to protect the engine in the event of a dump. They do nothing in a real crash.

Cross Wind: wind blowing across the direction of travel.

Crotch Rocket: Sports Bike.

Cruiser: bike built for cruising the boulevards as opposed to sports riding or long-distance riding. Typically of classic style with a low seat, pull-back handle bars, fancy paint and lots of chrome.

Cuts: a denim jacket which has had the sleeves cut off. All club patches are sown onto the Cuts and it is worn as the outer-most layer of clothing, even being worn over leather jackets. Most, if not all, Outlaw clubs have Cuts as their basic uniform.

D

DOHC: dual overhead cam

DOHV: dual overhead valves

DOT: Department of Transportation. Most often referring to a DOT approved helmet.

Dive: tendency of the front suspension to compress under hard breaking due to the effects of inertia.

Dome: helmet

Donor: bike from which parts are taken to make or repair another bike

Doughnut: 360 degree burnout, just as in a car but harder to do on a motorcycle.

Do-Rag: cloth head covering. The evolved form of a bandana

Drag Bars: handlebars that do not appreciably sweep up or back toward the rider. Read more about Drag Bars.

Dragging Pegs: leaning so far into a curve that footpegs drag on the road surface. Not a good idea and definitely not done on purpose.

Drag Pipes: short, straight exhaust pipes typically seen on Cruisers

Dresser: a large motorcycle complete with a full touring package (fairing, windshield, saddle bags, comfortable seat and often more).

Drop Seat: frame style in which the seat rest in a lowering notch within the frame.

Dual Purpose Motorcycle: motorcycle designed for use on and off road with a bias toward off road.

Dual Sport: motorcycle designed for use on and off road with a bias toward on road.

Dumping the Bike: when the bike falls over. Not a crash as the bike is not under power at the time of the dump.

E

Earned/Earned or Bought: refers to patches. Some clubs’ patches are earned (the wearer had to complete a specific task in order to earn the patch) and some patches are bought (the wearer does not have to earn the right to wear the patch). If asked by an Outlaw if your patches are Earned or Bought, “bought” is the safe answer. “Earned” could cause you to be viewed as a rival.

Endo: abruptly stopping a motorcycle so that inertia lifts the back end off the surface: 1) sometimes done on purpose as a stunt, also known as a “Stoppie”. 2) sometimes not done on purpose as in a crash; end-over-end.

Enduro: used to describe an off road/trails riding competition and the bikes that are used to compete in these competitions.

Evolution/Evo: Harley Davidson engine produced from 1984 to 2000.

Exhaust Wrap: insulated cloth wrapped around exhaust pipes to retain heat and give an old school look. Also known as heat wrap, pipe wrap, exhaust tape and other variations of these words; for cars it’s called header wrap. Exhaust Wrap

F

Fairing: bodywork at the front of a motorcycle designed to deflect wind, rain and road debris.

Farkle: doo-dads, kitch, add-ons that serve no useful purpose. One or two farkles are ok (flags, stuffed pigs, etc.) but don’t overdo it. Most serious bikers don’t use this term but you’ll find it used in forums and occasionally in magazines.

Fins: heat sumps on air cooled engines.

Fishtailing: side-to-side sliding of the rear wheel

Fishtails: flared exhaust tip that resembles a fish’s tail.

Flathead: early engine design associated with Harley Davidson engines produced from 1919 to 1973.

Flat Head: horizontally opposed four or six cylinder engines.

Flat Spot: point at which no additional power is gained from increased RPMs

Flycatcher:Hypercharger reminiscent of a racecar’s Bird Catcher, but smaller.

Flying Colors: wearing your clubs “colors.”

Foot Pegs: pegs where a rider rests his feet

Fork Bag: small pouch attached to forks (sometimes handlebars or frame) used to carry tools and supplies.

Frisco Style: when a fuel tank is mounted on top of the frame rather than having the frame sunk into the underside of the tank.

High Side: accident in which the motorcyclist goes over the motorcycle (and then sometimes the motorcycle goes over the motorcyclist – you get the picture). Opposite of a low side.

Highway Bars: bars that connect to and extend away from the frame in a semi-circular arch. Highway bars allow for leg stretching room on longer rides, offer convenient mounting points for auxiliary lighting and they can offer some protection during a dump.

Highway Pegs: foot pegs mounted so as to allow leg stretching room. Highway Pegs are much small than Highway Bars.

Hog: nickname for a large motorcycle, usually a Harley Davidson.

Horizontally Opposed: engine configuration in which cylinders are set 180 degrees apart.

I

Motorcycle Slang

I Rode Mine: T-shirt slogan worn to shame those that trailer their bikes to rallies.

Independent: biker having no club affiliation.

Indian: old American motorcycle manufacturer.

Ink: tattoo.

Ink Slinger: tattoo artist

Inline Four: engine configuration in which all four cylinders are aligned in a row.

Inline Six: engine configuration in which all six cylinders are aligned in a row.

Inline Triple: engine configuration in which all three cylinders are aligned in a row.

Inverted Front End/Inverted Forks: front end suspension system in which larger tubes are at the top and smaller tubes are at the bottom.

Iron Butt: motorcycle run which covers 1,000 miles in 24 hours

Ironhead: Harley Davidson Sportsters produced from 1957 to 1985

J

Jet: ports in the carburetor through which fuel flows

Jet Needle: controls the flow of fuel through the jet.

Jockey Shift: a gear selector fitted directly into the top of the transmission.

Jugs: cylinders. Well, sometimes “jugs” refers to part of a woman’s anatomy – I’m sure that you’ll be able to figure out which meaning is appropriate when you read it in context.

K

Kicker/Kickstart: motorcycle with no electric starter; it must be manually kick started.

Kickstand: mechanical devise that enable a motorcycle to balance in an upright position when not being ridden.

King and Queen Seat: one-piece seat with a saddle for the driver, a passenger saddle behind and raised about six inches above the driver’s and a high, padded backrest attached to a high Sissy Bar. In the 70s, no Chopper was complete without a King and Queen Seat.

Lay It Down: crash where you slide with one leg under the bike, typically done purposely to avoid a worse collision. When done accidentally it’s called a ” low side.”

Leathers: riding clothes made of leather.

Lid: Helmet

Line: intended path of travel.

Lone Wolf: biker with no club affiliation.

Low Side: crash in which a rider slides with one leg under the motorcycle, opposite of a “High Side.”

M

MC and M/C: motorcycle club. There are no admitted “Motorcycle Gangs” just as there is no admitted Mafia.

MFFM: Mongols Forever, Forever Mongols

Meet: scheduled social event or “meeting.” Social… this is not “Church.”

Megaphone: flared exhaust tip

Metric Cruiser: Cruiser style bike of foreign manufacturer

Monkey Butt: unpleasant “end” result of a long ride

Mother/Mother Chapter: original chapter of a Motorcycle Club

N

Naked Bike: bikes with little to no cowl or fairing. Often achieved after a bike is laid down – the damaged body pieces are removed and then not replaced either due to their cost or just because the owner decides that he likes the new look.

Nomad: 1) “Nomad” on a bottom rocker patch means that motorcycle club member travels between geographical chapters. Kind of like working in a secretarial pool – a Nomad goes where he’s needed. 2)”Nomad” on a top rocker patch or car plaque means “Nomad” is the name of that club.

NOS: 1) New Old Stock – old parts that are still in stock, 2) Nitrous Oxide System.

O

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer.

OFFO: Outlaws Forever, Forever Outlaws.

OHC: OverHead Cam.

OHV: OverHead Valve.

OMG: Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. You won’t see this advertised on patches or tattoos, but you’ll see it in books and magazine articles. Always used to refer to someone else; 1%s may mention their Club, but will never say they’re part of a gang.

Oil Bag: oil tank.

Old Lady/Ol’ Lady: wife or long-time girl friend. Has nothing to do with age and is not a derogatory term.

One Off: one-of-a-kind fabricated part or one-of-a-kind motorcycle.

Organ Donor: slang for a biker that doesn’t wear a helmet.

Originals: original colors presented to a new Motorcycle Club member.

P

P: when worn as a patch on Originals/Colors, it means Chapter President.

Patches: sewn onto vests or jackets – some have hidden meanings; some are just for fun.

Peanut Tank: distinctive style of fuel tank. The quintessential Sportster tank; also popular on Choppers and Bobbers.

Period Correct: a motorcycle built to reflect customizations that were trendy when the bike was new.

Petcock: fuel valve.

Pillion/Pillion Pad: a pad attached to a fender that acts as a passenger seat.

Pin It: speedometer needle is as far as it will go.

Pipes: exhaust system.

Poker Run: run where participants stop at predetermined checkpoints to draw a playing card; after five checkpoints, the participant will have five cards. Whoever makes the best poker hand from his five cards wins.

Poser: pretend biker.

Powerband: a bike’s power output characteristics based upon its RPMs.

Power Plant: engine.

Power Train: everything that makes the bike move.

Primary Drive/Primary: mechanical device that connects the engine to the transmission.

Property Of: displayed on a shirt, patch or tattoo to show who the woman “belongs to.” Example: “Property of Turk” means that woman has associated herself with Turk and will do his bidding. Yes, this is for real. Property Of Patch

Prospect: A prospective club member.

Q

Quick Shifter: device that allows for clutch-less gear shifting.

R

RICO/RICO Act: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A U.S. law that, in some cases, allows leader to be prosecuted for crimes committed by members of a group and, in some cases, allows prosecution due to a pattern of activity rather than a single offense. In other words, you can be found guilty because your friends committed a crime.

RPM: Revolutions Per Minute, typically referring to the rate of revolutions of an engines crankshaft. how fast the engine is going.

RUB: I didn’t want to include this one because I never hear any bikers use the term; it’s just something that shows up on forums a lot. Still, search traffic demands that I define: R.U.B. – Rich Urban Biker. Just don’t tell anyone you heard it here.

Rake: angle the forks are set at. A low angle requires longer forks if the motorcycle is to be level.

Suspension: shock-absorbing system installed between the wheels and frame.

Superman Seatgrab: dirt-bike trick whereby a rider, while making a jump, intentionally leaves his seat, assumes a prone position while holding onto the motorcycle seat, then returns to a seated position before landing the jump. not a trick done by street riders, but commonly referred to by stadium motocrossers.

Swingarm: component of some rear suspensions. The Swingarm connects the rear wheel to the frame; the shock absorber/s attach to the swingarm on one end and the frame on the other end.

T

T Bags: soft luggage bags that are attached to a Sissy Bar – the higher the Sissy Bar, the higher the T Bag. Makes a nice back rest for passengers on long trips.

Take-Offs: working factory parts “taken off” and replaced by custom parts – sometimes before the motorcycle even leaves the dealership. These Take-Offs can often be bought for a reasonable price and used to freshen the look of an older vehicle.

Tank Bag: fuel-tank mounted storage.

Target Fixation: staring at a road hazard that you don’t want to hit. Dangerous because we tend to go toward that which we’re looking at.

Touring Bike: motorcycle equipped for long distance rides, typically having a large fairing and windshield, hard saddle and storage bags and a comfortable seating position.

Trail: distance between where the steering axis plane intersects the road surface and where the front tire contacts the road surface. An important consideration when modifying a motorcycle as trail effects handling characteristics.

Trailer Queen: bikes that are trailered to shows and events rather than being ridden. Although “Trailer Queen” can technically refer to ATVs and full-on race bikes (as in not street legal) that are trailered to their destinations, it more accurately is used to refer to street bikes that are trailered because their owner is really a Cager that wants to pretend he’s a Biker for the weekend.

Travel: distance that suspension components move (travel) when under compression.

Trickle Charging: slowly charging a battery.

Trike: three-wheeled motorcycle.

Triple: three cylinder engine.

Triple Trees: devise that attaches the front end to the frame.

Triumph: British motorcycle manufacturer.

Twisties: curves.

U

Ural: Russian motorcycle manufacturer. not very well respected but I really wanted to include a “U” word.

V

V-Twin: two cylinder engine configured so that the cylinders are oriented greater than zero degrees and less than 180 degrees from each other.

Victory: motorcycle manufacturer

W

Water Buffalo: Suzuki GT750 – the first modern water cooled motorcycle. You don’t see many anymore, but they’re occasionally mentioned in magazine/internet articles.

Wheelie: come on… you know what a wheelie is.

White Wall: white wall tire.

Wings: one of many patches worn by some Motorcycle Club members. These patches have developed a cult-like mysteria of their own; supposed meanings will not be discussed even in the R-rated dictionary.

Wrenching: maintaining or repairing your motorcycle.

X, Y, Z

Yamaha: Japanese motorcycle manufacturer.

Z Bars: handlebars with two sharp angles on each side, forming a “Z” shape. Read more about Z Bars.

Now you’re ready to head out to your local Biker Hangout and have a good time…